The Real Reasons Donald Trump And Mike Pence Fell Out
There once was a time when former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence were like two peas in a pod. They weren't exactly the best of friends, but the two functioned like a well-oiled machine — sort of. Pence notably played the role of a loyal sidekick, with some arguing that it was to a fault. However, almost as soon as Trump's White House tenure ended, so did their partnership.
Trump once held Pence in high regard, sharing how devoted his former VP had been from the get-go. "No, I don't question his loyalty at all. He is 100% loyal," he told reporters in 2018, per CNN. "Mike Pence is 100%. Not even a doubt about it in my mind. He's been a trooper. He's been with me from as soon as I won the primaries. I could not be happier." A former administration official even told The Washington Post that it's virtually unfathomable that they had a falling out, as Pence was practically his professional yes-man. "The president could say, 'Mike I want you to go fly to Asia,' and he would do it, or 'Mike, I want you take over the coronavirus task force,' and he would do it; never questioned a thing," they said.
So, what went wrong? It turns out that Trump and Pence's relationship has become irreparable, with the crux of their fallout centering around the events of January 6 or the infamous attack on the Capitol. To this day, Trump maintains that if Pence had only overturned the 2020 elections, he would have secured another term.
The two clashed over the January 6 Capitol attack
According to Mike Pence himself, it was he who decided to sever ties with Donald Trump, especially after the former president had encouraged his supporters to challenge him, particularly when he refused to reject the results of the 2020 election — a power he never had to begin with. In fact, in the middle of the January 6 Capitol attack, Trump added fuel to the fire, seemingly undeterred by the rioters' alarming chants calling for Pence's hanging. "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution," Trump tweeted at the time.
Pence, in his memoir "So Help Me God," admitted that Trump's persistent pressure on him to overturn the elections was the straw that broke the camel's back. "When the president returned to the rhetoric that he was using before that tragic day and began to publicly criticize those of us who defended the Constitution, I decided it would be best to go our separate ways," he penned. Meanwhile, in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's book "Peril," the journalists claimed that Trump gave Pence an ultimatum. "I don't want to be your friend anymore if you don't do this," Trump allegedly told Pence.
Trump, for his part, hasn't denied their rift, telling The Washington Examiner that he still thought Pence was a "really fine person." However, he expressed doubt that they would ever reconcile. "Mike and I had a great relationship except for the very important factor that took place at the end," he said. "I haven't spoken to him in a long time."
Pence said Trump 'endangered' his family
Throughout their White House tenure, Mike Pence had never spoken ill of Donald Trump. He holds back even now, but in March 2023, at the Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington D.C., Pence dropped his guard and vented his frustration toward his former running mate. "President Trump was wrong," he told the audience of the annual white-tie event, AP reported. "I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable."
Like Trump, Pence also thinks their relationship is beyond repair, although he acknowledged their achievements when they were in office. "President Trump and I have spoken many times since we've left office, and I don't know if we'll ever see eye to eye on that day," he noted in a speech back in 2021 (via NPR). "But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years."
As for the former president, he seems to believe that Pence will eventually come around to support him once more for a presidential run. "He should endorse me," he told the crowd at an event in Las Vegas in October 2023. "You know why? Because I had a great, successful presidency, and he was the vice president."